More on Game of Thrones

Here’s how much the Game of Thrones cast REALLY earn

Five key members of the Game of Thrones cast are set to earn £2m per episode in seasons seven and eight, according to new reports.

Last year, a report revealed that Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) would all be receiving a paycheck of £890,000 for their talents each episode.

However, a new report unearthed by the Daily Express reveals the true figure, once bonus clauses over syndication are included, could be as much as a whopping £2m.

This knocks the previous record for best-paid television cast – held by the Friends cast at £1m an episode for season ten of the popular sitcom – clear out of the water.

However, it’s worth noting that the final season of Friends was eighteen episodes, compared to the expected seven episodes in Game of Thrones season seven.

Media analyst Mike Raia told the Daily Express: “Cable network HBO is breaking the bank to ensure its most successful scripted programme ever goes out with the kind of flourish fans all over the world have come to expect.”

Game of Thrones went from strength to strength last season as it recorded the show’s highest ever viewing figures for the season six finale. Over in the US, it scored 8.9 million live viewers. With catch-up and streaming included in the figures, the show averaged 23 million US viewers per episode.

The new series is expected to ramp up the production with several storylines coming to a climax that may, in Game of Thrones‘ usual style, turn into a spectacle.

In the season six finale, Queen Daenerys Targaryen began her journey across the sea to invade the Seven Kingdoms, where Queen Cersei Lannister has recently seized the throne. Up in the North, Jon Snow has been named ‘King of the North’, as he deals with the oncoming invasion of a race of ancient ice zombies.